A259 Chichester to Emsworth Walking and Cycling Improvements - Engagement period closed

The engagement ran from 22 July to 23 September 2021 and feedback gathered during this period has been analysed and summarised in the Engagement Report. The design standards, guidance and assumptions which have been applied to develop the previous feasibility design proposals through to preliminary design stage, taking all feedback into consideration, are presented in the Design Report.

Information presented during the engagement period

Why the improvements are needed

The existing route between Chichester and Emsworth forms part of the National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 2. The route, which comprises a mix of on and off-road cycle provision, connects to several rail stations on the Chichester to Havant railway line.

The proposals are designed to provide a coherent and safe route for pedestrians and cyclists. Currently, despite being a signed and designated cycle route, the NCN Route 2 is formed of narrow shared use paths, poor cycle design and abrupt gaps within the cycle infrastructure.

The proposals for the A259 route seeks to improve the safety of cyclists and pedestrians, whilst also maintaining the A259’s function as a strategic diversion route for the A27. The specific objectives of the improvements are to:

• Improve safety for cyclists, pedestrians and other road users
• Encourage healthy and active modes of travel – in line with the Government’s ‘Gear Change’ vision for cycling and walking
• Support the West Sussex Walking and Cycling Strategy and Chichester City Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan
• Maintain the core function of the corridor as a local A road

Funding the improvements

Highways England is working in partnership with West Sussex County Council to develop this project via the Designated Funds programme.

This is a Highways England fund that is used to support initiatives that deliver lasting benefits for road users, the environment and communities across England.

Subject to the outcome of this engagement, West Sussex County Council would also be making a financial contribution towards the improvements.

Developing the proposals

Highways England has engaged with a range of stakeholder groups to inform the development of the design. Earlier this year, two interactive online workshops with key stakeholders were held and an online community engagement exercise via a questionnaire was undertaken. More than 200 responses were recorded and the feedback and suggestions gathered have been used to inform and refine the preliminary design.

Aligning with Government guidance

In 2020, the Department for Transport released updated guidance and good practice for the design of cycle infrastructure in support of the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy and the Government's vision for cycling and walking, ‘Gear Change’.

The guidance, known as Local Transport Note 1/20, sets out five principles which represent the essential requirements to achieve more people travelling by cycle or on foot. These principles state that networks and routes should be:

• Coherent
• Direct
• Safe
• Comfortable
• Attractive

Inclusive design and accessibility run through all five of these core design principles. Designers should always aim to provide infrastructure that meets these principles and therefore caters for the broadest range of people.

The design process has complied with the principles of LTN 1/20 throughout the route, with the aim of creating high-quality and inclusive walking and cycling infrastructure between Chichester and Emsworth. Shared use facilities have been proposed as a last resort only, on sections where physical and operational constraints have determined this.

Proposed improvements

The length of the A259 Chichester to Emsworth Route has been divided into sections to help make the proposed improvements easier to interpret. These sections are described below. Please click on the section headings to open a map of the proposal.

EMSWORTH – SOUTHBOURNE

Proposals

• Widening of the existing uncontrolled pedestrian crossing on Main Road, at the junction with Lumley Road and Queen Street, to make it safer for pedestrians and enable cyclists to cross
• Improved crossings at side roads with the installation of flush kerbs, tactiles and using desire lines
• A continuous shared use path, for use by both pedestrians and cyclists, between Emsworth and Southbourne along the northern side of the carriageway as shown in the artist’s impression below
• Relocation of the existing bus stop adjacent to St John’s Church to the east, in order to accommodate the shared use path

Rationale behind the proposal

• Due to the available carriageway and footway space, a shared use path is proposed in this section
• In addition, a shared use path was chosen as pedestrian volumes are low and it enables existing provision to be improved
• On-carriageway cycle lanes have not been proposed along this section due to the safety issues associated with the high vehicle flows of the A259
• Due to the level of infrastructure that would be required to reduce vehicle speeds along this straight section, the introduction of a 20mph zone is not considered feasible

Artist’s impression of the continuous shared use path along the northern side of the carriageway, looking east between Emsworth and Southbourne

SOUTHBOURNE – NUTBOURNE

Proposals

• A combination of segregated cycle track and shared use path along the north side of the carriageway
• Widening of the Stein Road arm of the A259/The Crescent mini roundabout to provide a new 3m wide crossing island
• Provision of a dropped kerb from Stein Road to provide improved access for cyclists onto the A259 Main Road
• A segregated cycle track along the A259, between the junctions with New Road and School Lane. Space for the track would be created by reallocating carriageway space to ensure the footway width is maintained as shown in the artist’s impression below
• A shared use path between the junctions of School Lane and Broad Road would be provided by widening the existing footway into the carriageway

Rationale behind the proposal

• Due to the available carriageway and footway space, a segregated cycle track is only possible at the proposed points along this section
• Due to the level of infrastructure that would be required to reduce vehicle speeds along this straight section, the introduction of a 20mph zone is not considered feasible

Artist’s impression of the segregated cycle track on the northern side of the carriageway, looking east between the junctions with New Road and School Lane

NUTBOURNE – BOSHAM

Proposals

• A combination of segregated cycle track and shared use path along the north side of the carriageway
• A segregated cycle track between the bus stop east of Broad Road and the bus stop west of Drift Lane (350 m) and again east of Drift Lane (370m) before transitioning back to a shared use path west of Cutmill Creek.
• From Cutmill Creek eastwards to the A259/Station Road/Delling Lane roundabout, cyclists would have a choice of shared use path or quiet road routes would be available, as is currently the case. Vegetation clearance from the southern carriageway verge to increase the usable width of the existing shared use path as shown in the artist’s impression below
• The track level would be raised to avoid existing surface water flooding issues on the quiet road route
• Reduction in the speed limit from 40mph to 30mph west of Cutmill Creek linking with the proposed 20mph zone within Nutbourne village.

Rationale behind the proposal

• Due to the available carriageway and footway space, a segregated cycle track is only possible at the proposed points along this section
• The route along the southern side of the A259 is retained as an additional route for cyclists
• Due to the nature of the section of route, including relatively few property frontages and high traffic volumes, the speed limit between Cutmill Creek and the approach to the A259 / Station Road / Delling Lane roundabout would be maintained as 60mph.

Artist’s impression of the pedestrian and cycle crossing at Cutmill Creek with a choice of shared use path or quiet road routes eastwards to Bosham.

BOSHAM – FISHBOURNE

Proposals

• A combination of new and enhanced shared use path sections along the north side of the carriageway.
• Realignment of the Station Road arm of the A259/Delling Lane/Station Road roundabout enabling cyclists to cross and to increase visibility.
• Signing of the existing quiet route both east and west of the A259/Delling Lane/Station Road roundabout along Old Bridge Road and Penwarden Way.
• The existing shared use path would be cleared of vegetation creep and widened into the grass verge to create a facility typically of 3.5m width
• Removal of signage denoting the shared use path and cycle route via Chequer Lane with a safer route via Walton Lane signed instead
• On the approach to Hillier Garden Centre, removal of the existing mandatory cycle lanes
• Reallocation of carriageway space to extend the existing shared use path eastwards to Fishbourne, linking with the existing Legionary Trail shared use path
• The 40mph/30mph speed limit transition to be moved 400m westwards from its existing location to a point outside the garden centre.
• The existing speed limit transition point proposed to become the gateway to a 20mph zone for Fishbourne village.

Rationale behind the proposal

• Between Chequer Lane and Fishbourne, a shared use path was chosen as pedestrian volumes are low and it enables existing provision to be improved.

FISHBOURNE – CHICHESTER

Proposals

• Improvements are proposed for both the existing Legionary Trail shared use path routing to the north of the A259 and along the A259 itself to offer alternative route options
• On the A259, the carriageway centreline would be removed within the 20mph zone to encourage lower vehicle speeds
• A new crossing to link the on-carriageway route through the village with the shared use path continuing westwards to Bosham
• Replacement of the right turn lane markings on the Fishbourne Road (West) approach to Salthill Road with surfacing and a physical island to reduce vehicle speeds as shown in the artist’s impression below
• Widening of the existing footway to connect with Roman Way to improve facilities for pedestrians and cyclists
• Priority to be given to the Freeland Close arm of the A259 junction
• Fishbourne Road East would be retained as a quiet on-carriageway route for cyclists

Rationale behind the proposal

• Due to available carriageway and footway space a shared use path, improvements to links to the quiet road link are proposed in this section
• Existing traffic flows and reduced vehicle speeds due to visual narrowings and a reduced speed limit also makes this section suitable for on road cycling

Artist’s impression of the traffic calming in Fishbourne looking west from the Salthill Road junction.

Alternative Formats:

If you require any of the information for this project in an alternative format, please contact us on 0300 123 5000 or via email at A27DesignatedFunds@highwaysengland.co.uk and we will do our best to assist you. If you are deaf or hard of hearing and have an NGT texting app installed on your computer, laptop or smartphone, you can contact us on 18001 0300 123 5000.

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